The Silver-Blue Eyed Summoner
by LilWashuChan
Summary: I DON'T OWN FFX! Now that's out of the way, here's the summary; A young orphaned Al Bhed girl accidently discovers the Cloister of Trials, and things get ugly...
1. Just a Crush

The Blue and Silver Eyed Summoner  
  
  
"Ashlynn you lazy little girl, get out of bed now!" shouted Tekku, rapping on her door with a spatula. Ashlynn mumbled and pulled her pillow over her head. It was too early for Blitzball...  
  
"Now! Get up or I'll drag you to the beach in your underwear!" Tekku hit the door harder, and Ashlynn slowly dragged herself out of bed. She blinked through the bright sunlight that shown through her window, reflecting off the ocean water below. Some of the Blitzers were already there, and she was in no hurry to join them. After being thrown against the wall by Jakka. Sighing, she opened her drawers and picked out a red tank top and light blue board shorts. She pulled her shoulder length blonde hair back in a ponytail, and put on a little make up that wouldn't wash away in the water. She clasped a few chains around her neck, and put on her watch and rings. As she leaned closer to the mirror to put on her lip gloss, she couldn't help thinking about her heritage.   
  
Her eyes were swirled pools of silver and light blue, and her hair and skin were typical of the Al Bhed race, but she had never seen the island or even another Al Bhed. Most of the Besaid villagers treated her as if she was from Spira, but she could see the truth in their eyes; they pitied her. A young orphan wearing a locket with her name and birthdate engraved on it who washed up on shore and taken in by the resident Blitzball expert. Tekku was the only one who was willing to take her in, no one else wanted her. Her eyes were her source of pain, she was ridiculed and belittled by her peers, and beat up by the Blitzball team.  
  
Ashlynn looked away from the mirror quickly, and blinked away any tears that had welled up in the corners of her eyes. She grabbed her armguards and Blitzball and ran downstairs.  
  
"It's about time, Ashlynn. Now get your ass down to the beach!" Tekku shouted, pointing towards the door. He was relatively young, almost 36 in fact. Ashlynn smiled at him, she loved to make him mad. Tekku smirked and returned to the stove. He flipped the eggs with considerable skill, not even entirely paying attention to what he was doing. Soon, breakfast was ready, and the Blitzball champ sat down with his 'daughter' to eat.  
  
"The league starts soon, I think we'll do well," Tekku said between mouthfuls of egg and sausages. Ashlynn didn't respond, she knew she was going to have to confront Jakka again. Tekku noticed her unusual silence. "Something wrong?"  
  
"No, I'm fine..." Ashlynn picked at her food, not making eye contact when she spoke.   
  
"This wouldn't have anything to do with Jakka would it," Tekku said coolly. "Because I can always teach him a lesson-"  
  
"Please don't!" Ashlynn blurted out, standing up at the same time. Tekku raised an eyebrow, but refrained from pushing the subject further.  
  
Ashlynn finished her meal and ran out the door down to the beach. Courtney, her best friend, greeted her with a smile. Courtney wasn't like the other girls, she was more... accepting. As the waves lapped against the rocks marking the high tide, practice started.  
Jakka, Keepa, and Wadda glared at the two girls as they walked into the water. Courtney dove under first, closely followed by the rest of the team. Soon Tekku jumped in, and they started passing the ball around. Jakka intentionally hit Ashlynn with the Blitzball in the head, sending her reeling back. She retaliated by hitting him between the legs with a power shot, and he floated slowly to the bottom while holding himself.  
  
"Stop it now!" Tekku shouted, and motioned for everyone to surface. As they treaded water, the last player jumped in the water and Ashlynn's heart skipped a beat.  
  
"Gunnar..." Tekku growled a warning as the boy swam towards Ashlynn and Courtney.   
  
Gunnar was very muscular, with abs to die for. His skin was darkly tanned and his hair was dark brown with blue highlights. He had a sweet face with gorgeous, dark mahogany eyes and a great smile. He wore a tight fitted, dark blue shirt and long board shorts that looked like they would slid off his hips. He nodded at Ashlynn, and she looked away, blushing as he brushed against her side. He joined Jakka and his lackeys, making Ashlynn wince slightly.  
  
"As you all know, the league will start soon, and I hope you all are ready. I'm excusing practice early today, so enjoy the sun," Tekku swam back to the shore and headed into his home.   
  
As everyone crawled out of the water, Jakka pushed Ashlynn down. She quickly got up and brushed herself off. Keepa snickered, but Gunnar didn't say anything. He stared at Ashlynn as she got her surfboard from her front porch and caught up with Courtney at the Surf Cove. He turned quickly as soon as Ashlynn gave him a sidelong glance and ran up the steps to the villa.   
  
"You like him don't you?" Courtney teased, smiling at Ashlynn's reaction.   
  
"N-No, of course not," Ashlynn stuttered, trying to keep from blushing.  
  
"I know you do, it's nothing to be ashamed of."  
  
"He'll never like me..."  
  
"But I think he does! Why else do you think he stares at you all the time?"  
  
"He does that?" Ashlynn's jaw dropped and Courtney busted up laughing. She couldn't believe her best friend hadn't noticed.   
  
"Of course! Haven't you noticed how he makes direct eye contact when he speaks with you? He always watches you surf, too. He thinks you're really good," Courtney put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're almost 16, it's about time you found yourself a man." Ashlynn smiled, and nodded in agreement. As the sun settled behind the far coast, the two girls headed back up the bech stairs towards the Cafe' DeCruz.  
  
  
*****  
  
"What'll it bea Ash?" Chris asked, adjusting his visor so it faced backwards. He wan't what you'd call a cooking expert, but he made a mean cup of coffee. Chris DeCruz had inherited the cafe' from his father who was lost at sea.   
  
"I'd like my happyness dinner," Ashlynn answered, and Chris smirked.  
  
"One cheeseburger comin' up. This wouldn't havea anything to do withe that one Blitzball boy, ya?" he crossed his arms. Courtney was too busy listening to his accent to put her two cents in. She loved the way he talked.  
  
"No, Chris, get my dinner," Ashlynn growled, taking a sip of iced tea.  
  
"Eh, methinks you protest too much, ya?"  
  
"Shut up," Ashlynn retorted, and turned her back. Chris winked at Courtney and left for the kitchen. Satisfied with her small victory, Ashlynn looked out on the water. The stadium style lights reflected off the water making the beach just as popular at night. She turned to the left to look at the temple. She wasn't to big on the 'Teachings of Yevon,' but she knew enough to humor Tekku and the priests that constantly questioned her on the subject. She always recieved a few 'looks' when she entered the temple. It didn't seem a big deal to her, the last summoner was half Al Bhed, what's wrong with a full?  
  
"Your 'I've founda my man' meal," Chris joked, and recieved a punch in the forearm from Ashlynn. He rubbed the spot and tipped her chair back just enough to scare her. Everyone laughed and enjoyed their dinner.  
  
  
***** 


	2. The Mysterious Al Bhed

Ashlynn walked slowly up the beach, watching the stars fade in and out just before dawn. The warm sand felt good under her bare feet, and she needed a small comfort at the moment. Jakka had tortured her the whole week after her sixteenth birthday, and she had the bruises to prove it. Whether it was just normal verbal abuse or being thrown down a flight of stairs, Ashlynn was literally aching for some time to heal. She limped a little bit from being tackled by Jakka from behind, then being pushed headfirst over the railing on a staircase. After her ankle started to throb too much to walk anymore, she sat down in the sand and put her head on her knees.  
  
"God dammit! Why can't anything go right for me?" she shouted to nobody, as tears began to slide down her face. The pain in her ankle had almost reached the unbearable point, and as she reached over to rub her ankle the cuts on her wrists reopened. This provoked a sharp cry of pain from Ashlynn, and she leaned back against the sand trying to relax.  
  
'I want to die...' she thought to herself, squeezing her eyes shut. 'I want to die, I don't want to be alone anymore...'  
  
As the pain subsided, Ashlynn sat back up and looked at her arms. The blood had dripped down her forearms and onto her shirt and jeans. The cuts closed again, and Ashlynn wished she could just die on the spot and be put out of her misery.   
  
'Time to return to reality,' she thought glumly, and started back up the stairs towards her house.  
  
A crack behind her.  
  
She spun around and put her gloves on. The moonlight bounced off the blades and reflected on her shirt. Not seeing anyone, she turned and walked a little faster. A second later she spun around and threw a grenade straight ahead. A hand shot out, caught it, and crushed it to a fine powder. Ashlynn fell back in shock.  
  
"You're smarter than I thought," the figure walked out into the dim light. He was over six feet tall, with short-cropped blonde hair and odd-looking clothes half hidden beneath a black trench coat. In his right hand he held a gun, trigger finger ready. "Perhaps you are the one we've been looking for."  
  
"I, I don't know what your talking about," Ashlynn stammered, crawling backwards as the stranger advanced. He moved into the streetlight, and she could see the color of his eyes; blue and green. Ashlynn gasped. "An Al Bhed!"  
  
"You mean to tell me you've never seen another Al Bhed?" the man laughed and helped her up, but dropped her again the second he could see her eyes.  
  
"Oh God, it really is you... your... I was right..." he backed away slowly, a look of pure horror on his face. " This can't be happening, it's too soon..."  
  
"What? Hey, I'm talking to you!" Ashlynn demanded, running after the man as he beat feet towards the coast. She took two steps, jumped, and tackled him in midair. She held his arms behind his back, forcing him to drop his gun.  
  
"What's happening? Tell me!" Ashlynn pulled his arms back so hard his shoulders cracked. She got off allowing him to stand but kept him at gun point.  
  
"Alright, alright, don't shoot. You are Chosen," he stated proudly, standing up straight and raising his chin. Ashlynn raised an eyebrow, then shook her head.  
  
"Chosen for what? What are you talking about?"  
  
"You'll see. It will become apparent when the time comes... How could you not know?" he asked staring her down. "Don't you remember, Ashlynn?"  
  
"How do you know my name?" Ashlynn loosened her grip on the gun slightly, but still kept it locked on the Al Bhed's chest.  
  
"We've been looking for you for fourteen years, and we've finally found our lost girl," he held out one gloved hand to her, and very slowly took the gun back. "You were thrown overboard a ship on an excavation in a secluded area. We had no idea where you would wash up, or if you were even still alive. I knew what you were, but no one believed me, they said it wasn't possible. I pushed on the search, but even your parents had given up hope after a year. So long I've scoured the world searching for the blue and silver eyed Al Bhed, and now I've found you... but something's not right." He tucked the gun in the holster, and walked closer to her.  
  
"The legend speaks of... a powerful force that will sweep across the world. Not since Sin have we seen anything of that kind of sheer power," he stood next to her, making direct eye contact much in the same way Gunnar would. Ashlynn admired the blue and green color of his eyes, and if he didn't scare her so much she would have found him slightly attractive. "My thought is that we've yet to see what will become of this."  
  
"Wait, so you're telling me that I'm a legendary hero or something?" she smirked, trying not to laugh out loud. "Look, Sir-"   
  
"My name is Jin."  
  
"Fine, Jin. I get thrown down stairs and beaten up-"  
  
"Why?" his brow furrowed slightly in concern.  
  
"This boy Jakka, his father clings to the old ways. He despises Al Bheds. I even heard that he's a member of some cult that hunts us down and kills us. The other boys he hangs out with are the same way, and a lot of other people too. Anyone who doesn't flat out hate me pretty much pities me because I'm an orphan. Sure they don't say it aloud, but I can see it in their eyes. You can tell a lot by someone's eyes."  
  
"I can tell by yours you despise people. The way you watch a person, it's almost hate, but more like a forced hate," Jin adjusted his coat and Ashlynn wiped a hand across her eyes to keep herself from crying.  
  
"Not all people, I have a few friends. Courtney and Chris..."  
  
"Only? I think it's time you started to realize what you were created to do," he stood up, and grabbed her arm. "Let's go."  
  
"What? Wait, where are we going? Hey!" Ashlynn yelled in protest as Jin half dragged her down Main Street. It was morning by now, and the vendors had just opened shop. It then occurred to the rather confused girl that she had been out all night. "Oh no, Tekku, he's going to kill me. I was supposed to go home before sunrise-"  
  
"Is he your adopted parent?" Jin questioned, walking slowly up the steps of the temple.  
  
"Sort of, more like an adopted older brother," Ashlynn looked back; she could see her house from the temple doorway. Tekku's armguards and equipment were gone from the table... he had probably gone looking for her. Ashlynn's heart sank when she thought about her broken promise... she hated letting people down. As soon as she entered the temple, the priests stared at her and her new acquaintance. Jin ignored them, and pushed through the crowds. Gently pushing two large doors in the center of the far wall, he motioned for Ashlynn to follow. One of the priests blocked Jin's path.  
  
"Stop, you are not permitted to enter!" he demanded. Jin smirked and pulled back his coat to reveal his gun.  
  
"And how do suppose your going to stop me?" Jin scoffed and practically pushed Ashlynn through into the next room. The second they entered, the priests slammed and locked the doors behind them. Ashlynn began to protest, but Jin held up a hand to her mouth.  
  
"Don't worry. You won't need a key to get out once you've finished your task here," he motioned to a glowing wall. "You must go through alone, I can only follow after you've completed The Trials." Ashlynn swallowed hard, and slowly approached the door. She touched it and it slid away, revealing a long corridor. Jin nodded to her, and she slowly proceeded down the steps into the darkness.  
  
As she ventured further into the temple, she picked up a Sphere on the way. She placed it in the door, and it slid open. She grabbed the sphere again, and put in a separate hole in the wall. There was a different Sphere located inside the room she opened, but she decided to further explore her surroundings first.   
  
A little further down she examined a glyph on the wall and opened another secret chamber. She took the Sphere this time, and tried putting it in a pedestal. Yet another door flung open, and Ashlynn went back for the Destruction Sphere. She tried it in the place where she found the Besaid Sphere, and a huge explosion was triggered. After the chaos subsided, she went out to discover a new room. Inside was a Staff, and quite a fancy one. She took it with her and went back to the room she had opened with the Besaid Sphere. She pushed the statue, with great difficulty considering her small size, and it fell into place. She then rode what felt like an elevator down to yet another chamber.  
  
Inside the room, there were gold statues of monstrous creatures, like the Aeons that Tekku had told her about as a little girl. They looked ferocious in gold, she couldn't imagine what the real thing was like. A wide staircase led upwards to a set of gold-cast doors. She looked back to see Jin nodding his head in approval then motioning her to go inside. He sat down on the steps.  
  
"When you go in, pray for an answer to your existence, for your loneliness, for your purpose in life. The answer will present itself," Jin took a small sip of water from a flask he had 'borrowed' off of one of the priests.   
  
"How will I know my prayer was answered?" Ashlynn questioned, opening the doors.  
  
"The answer will come on swift wings, Ashlynn." he answered slowly.  
  
"What?" Ashlynn gave him a confused look.  
  
"You will see when your prayer is answered," he said brashly.   
  
"Whatever you say..." As she closed the doors behind her, Jin bowed his head.  
  
"I await your return..." 


	3. A Legend Begins

"It's been two days," Courtney looked down into her coffee cup. "Two goddamn days." She took a sip and hung her head.  
  
"Eh, Ashlynn can take carea of herself, Courtney. Havea a lil faith ya?" Chris carefully refilled the ketchup bottles, watching Courtney out of the corner of his eye. "Mebbe she come back today, eh?"   
  
"She's going to come through, I'm sure of it," Gunnar said awkwardly, and tried to assure her even though he felt the same way as she did; absolutely worried sick.   
  
"I think she'll come through, Tekku said she had her weapons, right? If that's the case, then she shouldn't havea a problem fighting off some lil monster," Chris commented as he started writing down the week's specials on the giant blackboard in the shop window. "Try not to think the worst, ya?"  
  
A depressed sigh came from Courtney as she nodded in silent agreement. Slowly, she turned to look at the temple. She remembered talking to the priests just hours before. They said it was possible for her to die. In fact, they had said it was highly probable that she would die. 'There are horrific monstrosities that reside down there, she won't last long if she's not careful,' he had said.   
  
'Poor Tekku,' Courtney thought, glancing towards the beach. He had been outraged when the priest explained to him the situation. He paced a hole in the floor, and he hadn't eaten anything for atleast a day. He canceled Blitzball practice for the rest of the week, and he looked old, like the sick people in the medical ward. He fell headfirst into depression and, if he hadn't killed himself already, Courtney knew he would commit suicide if Ashlynn didn't come out alive and breathing.  
  
"Heya, are you two gonna go home, it's almost 11," Chris pointed lazily at the clock. "I've gotta go to sleep soon cuz werea opening at 6 tomorrow. Eh, you gonna be okay, Courtney?"  
  
"Yeah, I just need to relax," she stood up and left, leaving Gunnar sitting all alone.   
  
"You too bro, or are youa gonna sit there all night, ya?" Chris crossed his arms. "Don't worry, she'll be safe soon enough." Chris turned and added over his shoulder, "Then mebbe you'll have the guts to admit you want her." He quickly ducked a salt shaker the was thrown at his head, and Gunnar left the cafe'.  
  
*****  
  
"Shall we interfere? It's been four days now," the priest asked slowly.  
  
"No. Don't you remember Lady Yuna? She'll be fine, you will see," the tall man dressed in black leaned against the statue of Braska. "Everything is going as I planned."  
  
"B-But Sir, she could die," the priest stammered.  
  
"She won't. I foresaw this all. Think of it as a game of chess. Each of the pieces are moved slowly, strategically, and intelligently. It cannot be rushed. Mark my words, she will emerge as the last piece to the puzzle. It won't be long now," he rubbed a silver dragon pendant that hung loosely around his neck between his thumb and forefinger. "Besides, I need her too much to let her just die like that. Only one Al Bhed with her importance comes around every thousand years or so. The rest of the race is, how shall I say it, worthless. They serve no purpose other than to annoy and make matters worse."   
  
"Yes sir," the priest excused himself from the chambers. He walked through a curtain into the main temple, and snickered on his way out. "Yes, Al Bhed's are nothing but a nuisance, and finally we won't have to worry about them messing things up."  
  
*****  
  
Gunnar punched the wall in frustration. He turned back to the priest.  
  
"What do you mean, I can't go in? It's been four days Goddammit! I want to see if she's okay!" Gunnar shouted at the much smaller man. "Let me through!"  
  
"No! Not even guardians can enter the Cloister of Trials now! I have locked the doors tight so the Creatures don't come out!"  
  
"What!? You trapped her in there! You son of a bit-"  
  
"Gunnar! Stop it!" Courtney grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Stop, there's nothing we can do! Calm down," Courtney pleaded, and he took a deep breath. Slowly, he sat down on the steps and put his head on his knees.  
  
"She's gonna die Courtney, we have to save her. We-"  
  
"We couldn't break down that door if we wanted to, Gunnar. I know it's hard, but this is one thing that you can't protect her from," Courtney turned her head towards the ocean. "You and Tekku are the same; you think you'll always be there to protect her. Well guess what, you can't be there all the time. I don't care how many times you've bailed her out of a fight with Jakka, she still gets beat up. You aren't her body guard Gunnar, and you're not her boyfriend either, so chill out, okay?" Gunnar started to protest, but stopped after realizing that Courtney was right, he wasn't always going to be there. This was the one time he couldn't help her when he was perfectly capable of doing so.  
  
That was almost too much to take.  
  
As the sun hit high noon, the two of them headed for the beach to go surfing, and hopefully escape from the dark reality; Ashlynn was pretty much as good as dead.  
  
*****  
  
'What's happening?' Ashlynn stood up, feeling a cold breeze on her face. She eyed her surroundings nervously, and was knocked to her feet by a huge rush of air. When she stopped sliding, she jumped to her feet and landed face to face with Valefor!  
  
"Sh-Shit!" she screamed, falling back. Valefor sniffed Ashlynn's hair, and she relaxed slightly. He wouldn't hurt her, he would have already done so. She reached up and pet his nose, and he bit into her hair. "Ow, hey! Let go!"  
  
'Vrrr," Valefor mumbled through a mouthful of blonde hair, and lowered his neck. He motioned for her to get on. Cautiously, Ashlynn got up on his neck and the two flew out of the room. Jin looked up in surprise, but smirked when Ashlynn waved to him. She was tired, but not exhausted.   
  
"I knew you would succeed," he pointed to the far wall. "That wall leads directly to the main temple, bust through it." Ashlynn maneuvered Valefor infront of the wall so he was about ten feet away.  
  
"Okay, um, Valefor use Sonic Wings!" Ashlynn shouted and pointed to the wall. Valefor reared up and blasted the wall to bits. She flew through much to everyone's surprise. Jin was close behind, running forward out of the smoke and dust.  
  
"Well I- what the hell is that over there?!" the priests started but immediately pointed out the temple doors. A huge fin had surfaced out of the ocean, and it was moving towards the shore! All the priests ran to the lower levels of the temple, but Ashlynn grabbed one and demanded that they stay and fight.  
  
"Forget them, they're worthless in a fight. Let's go!" Jin shouted and jumped on behind Ashlynn.   
  
"Head to the cove, we'll head it off there," he instructed, and Valefor obeyed after looking to Ashlynn for a confirmation. They flew full speed down Main Street towards the ocean, and Jin was secretly hoping that the monster wasn't what he thought it was.  
  
He knew Ashlynn wasn't ready for that...  
  
*****  
  
"Oh my God," Courtney gasped. Her and Gunnar had taken cover in the cafe' after seeing the huge creature that was heading full speed for the cove. "It's huge! I wonder what it is."  
  
"Sin?" Chris suggested, and received quite a few glares from the other scared residents of Besaid that had run into the cafe'. "Boy if looks could kill..."  
  
"No way, it's something else. It's getting closer!" Gunnar pointed towards the town edge. The monster's head had just begun to peek out of the water.  
  
"What are you all doing!? Get to higher ground, the Summoner will handle this!" a priest ran through the doors, motioning everyone to come with him out to the far end of town. "Come on, get to the cliffs!"  
  
"The Summoner? But we don't have a..." Courtney began, but trailed off as the solution dawned upon her and Gunnar looked at her.  
  
"Holy shit!"   
  
"Ashlynn!"  
  
"We gotta go!" Gunnar started towards the beach. "Come on Courtney, time to test what you've learned!"  
  
"Well, I..." Courtney looked at the ground. "I don't know..."  
  
"Come on, what do we have to lose?" Gunnar put his hands on her shoulders and bent over to put himself at eye level with her. "If not for me, do it for Ashlynn." A smile crept across Courtney's face.  
  
"When you fall for someone, you fall for her hard," she joked. He smiled, grabbed his weapon, and the two friends ran headlong to the beach to try and help in any way possible. As they reached the coast, the creature surfaced, and crashed into the sea rocks.  
  
It was a giant sea dragon, and he was pissed.  
  
"Oh God," Jin murmured. "So it begins." 


End file.
